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New US military GenAI tool ‘critical first step’ in future of warfare, says expert

The recently launched ‘GenAI’ tool for U.S. service members and Department of War workers is a ‘critical first step’ in the future of warfare, according to a military expert.

This month, the Pentagon announced the launch of GenAI.mil, a military-focused AI platform powered by Google Gemini. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the platform is designed to give U.S. military personnel direct access to AI tools to help ‘revolutioniz[e] the way we win.’

On Monday, the Department of War also announced that the Pentagon is further integrating Elon Musk’s xAI Grok family of models into the GenAI platform, allowing employees to use xAI safely on secure government systems for routine work, including tasks involving sensitive but unclassified information.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Emelia Probasco, a Navy veteran, former Pentagon official and senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, explained that the tool will help train Department of War service members and civilians on the use of artificial intelligence in their everyday workflow, preparing them for further integration of AI in military matters.

Probasco said the tool will have a ‘big impact’ on the everyday functioning of the Department of War.

‘Prior to the rollout of this new website and having Gemini 3 available to the force, folks were either using sort of a tool that wasn’t as capable … or even worse, they were sort of going to their home computers and trying to do various things on their home computers, which they’re not supposed to do, but it was probably happening,’ Probasco explained. ‘Now they’ve got a more secure environment where they can experiment with these tools and really start to learn what they’re good for and what they’re not good for.’

While Probasco said she does not believe the tools, such as the GenAI platform, ‘fully changes war,’ she thinks ‘it’s the critical first step in training so that we know how to use it well.’

She said that the Department of War has ‘made it very clear in the past year that they want to forge ahead and be innovative and try new things and adopt AI.’

The GenAI tool, Probasco said, gives the department a type of sandbox to experiment with for still bigger innovations to come.

‘There are responsible people in the department who are trying to figure out what is the best use of this tool. Let’s try lots of experiments in sort of sandboxes or in safe places so that when a conflict comes, we are ready and ahead, frankly, of any adversary who has started to play with the tools,’ she explained.

Probasco said the Department of War understands that adversaries such as China are also developing and experimenting with artificial intelligence. Indeed, this month, President Donald Trump announced he would be partially reversing a Biden-era restriction on high-end chip exports, permitting Nvidia to export its artificial-intelligence chips to China and other countries.

The H200 chips are high-performance processors made by Nvidia that help run artificial intelligence programs, like chatbots, machine learning and data-center tasks. 

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill voiced that they are split over the decision, with some seeing the move as a dangerous concession and others as strategic.

Either way, Probasco said ‘we have lots of evidence’ that China ‘is doing rapid experimentation [with AI] across all domains of warfare.’

‘And it’s not, can I use a chatbot, but rather, ‘Can I gather up lots of information to start to target individuals for espionage?’ For example, [and], ‘Can I use data to create more sophisticated cyber-attacks?’’ she explained.

‘There is this sort of dynamic of a race between the two sides trying to figure out how to adopt it,’ she explained.

Though important, Probasco said the GenAI tool is ‘not going to necessarily be the weapon system that gains [the U.S.] an advantage.’

She assured the AI tool that will truly give the U.S. a military advantage ‘is underway,’ but said ‘that’s not the sort of thing you just roll out for every service member to use.’

‘It’s important to remember that using a chatbot to help you think through certain problems or do talking points is not what’s going to win the war. There are much more sophisticated military systems that use generative AI; they use other kinds of what’s called ‘good old-fashioned AI.’ There are lots of other techniques that militaries need to use,’ she said.

‘Those are already in the works, and they’ve been in the works for years,’ Probasco explained, adding, ‘That’s not going to be rolled out in a big public announcement where everybody can play with it.’

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Republicans consider using reconciliation again after Trump’s biggest legislative win

As the year closes, Republicans are looking to the past for another dance with a partisan exercise that tested the party’s unity and delivered President Donald Trump his crowning legislative achievement of the year.

Budget reconciliation is how congressional Republicans rammed through Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ earlier this year. But it’s a time-consuming, labor-intensive process that laid bare intra-party divisions and nearly exploded before liftoff.

Still, some Republicans want to take another stab at reconciliation, which allows a party in power to advance legislation with just a simple majority in the Senate as long as it adheres to strict, budgetary parameters.

‘We can do two more reconciliation bills without a single Democratic vote,’ Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. ‘Doesn’t mean we wouldn’t welcome Democratic votes, but we can do them without a single Democratic vote.’

Turning once again to reconciliation would help Senate Republicans, in particular, address one of Trump’s desires to kill the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the upper chamber without changing the precedent that Democrats, for years, have threatened to do.

But they need a plan, first.

That would come from Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the de facto maestro of the reconciliation process. His committee was responsible for drafting the budget resolution that unlocked the process in the upper chamber earlier this year, and he is reportedly eying drafting another resolution in the new year.

‘It would be political malpractice not to do another reconciliation,’ Graham told Semafor.

But many Republicans acknowledged just how difficult reconciliation is, especially after the latest exercise that dominated much of Congress’ attention for the first half of the year.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that ‘it’s always hard, but it’s an option, and one that we’re not ruling in or ruling out.’

‘I would say you have to have a reason to do it, you know,’ Thune said. ‘I mean, you don’t just do reconciliation for the heck of it. You got to have a, you know, a specific purpose. And so we’ll see. I mean, that purpose may, you know, may start getting some traction.’

Kennedy floated using reconciliation to tackle affordability issues, but some see the painstaking process as an avenue to grapple with another issue that has dominated Congress for several months: healthcare.

Lawmakers left Washington, D.C., without a fix to expiring Obamacare subsidies, effectively setting up a drastic hike in out-of-pocket healthcare costs for millions of Americans. There are bipartisan negotiations in the works to deal with the issue when lawmakers return, but Republicans have a gnawing appetite to drastically change the program.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital that Republicans ‘have to do something’ on healthcare.

‘Reconciliation is one pathway to do something, but it also limits what we can do,’ Banks said. ‘So we need bipartisan support to pass something that will help everybody.’

And Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., who has been critical of Republicans’ inability to get a healthcare solution across the line, told Fox News Digital that reconciliation ‘may be an answer.’

‘The healthcare situation is really, it’s a big deal,’ Justice said. ‘It’s more than difficult, you know? And so we need to, we need to try to fix it. That’s for sure.’

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Louisville vs Toledo live score, Boca Raton Bowl updates, stats

There are 306 miles that separate the University of Louisville and the University of Toledo from each other.

However, when the Cardinals and the Rockets meet on the day before Christmas Eve in the Boca Raton Bowl, both programs will have traveled over 1,000 miles for their first meeting since 1981.

Watch Louisville vs Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl live with Fubo (free trial)

At 8-4 on the season, Louisville is looking for its second consecutive bowl win under Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals finished tied for seventh in the ACC this season with a 4-4 conference record, and are led by USC transfer Miller Moss on offense. Louisville’s defense ranks in the top 20 in the nation for total defense (300.3 yards per game allowed) and in the top 25 for rushing defense.

Toledo is making its fifth consecutive bowl appearance after finishing 8-4 overall in the regular season. The Rockets will be led by interim head coach Robert Weiner after Jason Candle was poached by UConn for its opening.

Leading the way for the Rockets on offense is quarterback Tucker Gleason, while K’Von Sherman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are two players to watch out for on defense, which ranks third in total defense (247.8 yards per game allowed) and fourth in scoring defense (12.2 points per game allowed).

USA TODAY Sports is bringing live updates from the game. Follow along:

Louisville vs Toledo score

Louisville vs Toledo live updates

This section has been updated with new information

Fourth quarter: Louisville 21, Toledo 11

Toledo cuts deficit with TD

Toledo has some life! Jacob Peterson muscles his way through a pair of Louisville defenders into the end zone to give Toledo its first touchdown score of the game on a 26-yard pass from Kalieb Osborne on fourth-and-11.

It’s a big-time throw by Osborne and a big-time score by the Rockets, who now trail Louisville by 10 points after a successful 2-point conversion. The scoring drive was 11 plays for 75 yards and took 4:11 off the game clock.

Isaac Brown extends Louisville lead with TD

Isaac Brown bounces out to the right and takes it into the end zone for an 11-yard rushing touchdown to extend Louisville’s lead to 21-3. It’s the first touchdown for Brown in weeks, as he had been out since early November with an injury.

That’s now two quick touchdown scores by the Cardinals.

End of third quarter: Louisville 14, Toledo 3

Miller Moss picks up first down

Miller Moss is awarded the first down on fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard carry. Louisville is 15 minutes away from winning the Boca Raton Bowl.

The Cardinals will start the fourth quarter with a first-and-10 at the Toledo 11-yard line.

Louisville extends lead with TD

Louisville breaks its scoring drought with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Miller Moss to Antonio Meeks on the slant route. It’s the first points scored by the Cardinals since their opening drive in the first half.

The score was set up by a 28-yard pass from Moss to Caullin Lacey and a 19-yard carry up the middle of the field from Isaac Brown. The scoring drive itself for Louisville was nine plays for 77 yards and took 4:55 off the game clock.

Toledo misses FG attempt

The Rockets come up short on a promising drive as Robert Hammond misses a 41-yard field goal attempt. A 15-yard pass from Kalieb Osborne to Bryson Hammer on the 1-yard line is wiped out by a hold on a Toledo offensive lineman, another self-inflicted penalty for the Rockets on the afternoon.

Louisville takes over at its own 23-yard line, still holding on to a 7-3 lead with 8:35 remaining in the third quarter.

Toledo starts with ball

After deferring the opening kickoff to the second half, Toledo’s offense will be out on the field first in the third quarter. The Rockets’ defense did a nice job of changing the script and momentum of the game in the first half after Louisville scored a touchdown on its opening drive.

End of first half: Louisville 7, Toledo 3

Louisville leads Toledo at halftime

The Cardinals take a 7-3 lead into halftime at the Boca Raton Bowl. Louisville was near the 50-yard line with 45 seconds remaining with a third-and-1, but Isaac Brown drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty after pulling the helmet of a Toledo player off. Brown’s penalty pushed the Cardinals back.

Both teams combined for 11 penalties in the first half. Toledo will start the second half with the ball.

Toledo recovers fumble

Louisville tries a trick play, and it backfires into a fumble recovery by Toledo. Miller Moss throws a backwards pass, and it falls off the tip of the hands of Cardinals’ wide receiver Antonio Weeks and is recovered by Rockets’ linebacker Hudson Miller.

Toledo catches a break after it had its punt blocked by the Cardinals.

Louisville blocks Toledo punt

Louisville will get the ball back in great field position after Micah Carter blocks a punt. The Rockets were called for their second equipment violation of the game after the block, but the Cardinals elected to decline the penalty and take over at Toledo’s 37-yard line.

Louisville punts

After driving down the field for an opening drive touchdown to begin the game, Louisville’s offense has gone cold. The Cardinals send out the punt unit for the first time.

The Cardinals have created just 49 yards across 12 plays on their last drives.

End of first quarter: Louisville 7, Toledo 3

Toledo cuts deficit with field goal

Toledo is unable to recover from back-to-back penalties on third-down and sends out the field goal unit looking to get on the board. Robert Hammond hits the 43-yard field goal attempt to put the Rockets on the board. It’s the first career field goal made for Hammond.

The scoring drive was 10 plays for 34 yards and took 4:55 off the game clock. Louisville leads 7-3 going into the second quarter.

Toledo sacks Miller Moss, Louisville misses FG attempt

Martez Poynter sacks Miller Moss for a loss of 6 yards, and Louisville sends out the special teams unit for the first time on the afternoon. It’s the second sack of the drive for the Rockets defense, with the first one coming from Avery Dunn on first-and-15 for a loss of 10 yards.

Louisville was set to punt the ball away, but a 5-yard penalty against Toledo for an equipment violation moved the Cardinals into field goal range. However, Cooper Raniver’s 53-yard attempt is blocked.

It’s a missed opportunity for the Cardinals to extend their lead after starting the drive at the Toledo 49-yard line.

Louisville recovers fumble

Louisville comes up with the game’s first takeaway as DJ Kelly recovers the fumble from Toledo quarterback Kalieb Osborne on the quarterback keeper. The Cardinals take over in great field position at the Rockets’ 49-yard line.

Miller Moss gives Louisville lead with TD

Miller Moss connects with Treyshun Hurry for a 17-yard touchdown pass to give Louisville an opening drive score. It’s a well-placed ball thrown by Moss and a well-constructed drive by the Cardinals to open up the Boca Raton Bowl.

The scoring drive is eight plays for 75 yards and took 4:34 off the game clock.

Keyjuan Brown starts game with 31-yard carry

Louisville is already in push territory after just one play thanks to a 31-yard carry up the middle from running back Keyjuan Brown. Nice run by Brown and a nice block and lane created by the Cardinals’ offensive line.

Toledo wins coin toss, Louisville offense up first

Toledo wins the coin toss and defers the kickoff to the second half. That means Miller Moss and Louisville will be out on the field first. Just about underway down in Boca Raton at FAU!

Pregame

Isaac Brown warming up for Louisville

Louisville running back Isaac Brown is warming up on the field in Boca Raton. Brown has missed the last four games with an injury.

Report: Kalieb Osborne to start for Toledo in Boca Raton Bowl

According to On3’s Brett McMurphy, Tucker Gleason will not start for Toledo at quarterback in the Boca Raton Bowl due to injury. Starting in Gleason’s place will be freshman quarterback Kalieb Osborne. It will be the seventh game this season that Osborne has appeared in.

In six games this season, Osborne has completed 15-of-24 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns with two additional rushing touchdowns.

Louisville arrives for Boca Raton Bowl

The Cardinals are on site for the Boca Raton Bowl against Toledo. Louisville is looking for its second consecutive bowl win and its third in the last four years.

Toledo arrives for Boca Raton Bowl

The Rockets have arrived at Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida for the 2025 Boca Raton Bowl against Louisville. Toledo is looking for its third bowl win in the last five years.

Louisville running back update in Boca Raton Bowl

As noted by the Louisville Courier-Journal’s Alexis Cubit, Louisville coach Jeff Brohm told reporters on Tuesday that Braxton Jennings is expected to take most of the snaps at running back ‘as of now’ in the Boca Raton Bowl. Brohm went on to mention there is a chance for fellow backs Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown to ‘give it a go, but we’ll see.’

‘It’s still a game time decision,’ Brohm said. ‘Can we have one or two play? Yes. Can we have one or two play and not finish? Maybe yes. But I do think we might get a couple to try.’

What channel is Toledo vs Louisville on today?

  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Livestream: ESPN app Fubo (free trial)

Toledo vs Louisville will broadcast nationally on ESPN for the Boca Raton Bowl. Jay Alter and Rocky Boiman will call the game from the booth at Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida, with Ashley Stroehlein reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Toledo vs Louisville time today

  • Date: Tuesday, Dec. 23
  • Start time: 2 p.m. ET

The Toledo vs Louisville game starts at 2 p.m. ET from Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.

Stream Toledo vs Louisville with Fubo (free trial)

Toledo vs Louisville predictions, picks, odds

  • Spread: Louisville -7
  • Over/under: 44.5 points
  • Moneyline: Louisville (-250) | Toledo (+200)

Prediction, Craig Meyer (USA TODAY Network): Louisville 27, Toledo 16

The Cardinals are a bare-bones operation offensively, with many of their top pieces out for the bowl game, but they showed against Kentucky that they can run the ball even with fourth- and fifth-stringers. Pair that with a top-20 total defense and Louisville should be able to come away with a comfortable-enough victory.

Stream Toledo vs Louisville with Fubo (free trial)

Toledo football schedule 2025

Here’s a look at Toledo’s schedule in 2025:

  • Saturday, Aug. 30: Kentucky 24, Toledo 16
  • Saturday, Sept. 6: Toledo 45, Western Kentucky 21
  • Saturday, Sept. 13: Toledo 60, Morgan State 0
  • Saturday, Sept. 20: Western Michigan 14, Toledo 13 *
  • Saturday, Sept. 27: Toledo 45, Akron 3
  • Saturday, Oct. 4: BYE
  • Saturday, Oct. 11: Bowling Green 28, Toledo 23 *
  • Saturday, Oct. 18: Toledo 45, Kent State 10 *
  • Saturday, Oct. 25: Washington State 28, Toledo 7
  • Saturday, Nov. 1: BYE
  • Wednesday, Nov. 5: Toledo 42, NIU 3 *
  • Wednesday, Nov. 12: Toledo 24, Miami (OH) 3 *
  • Saturday, Nov. 22: Toledo 38, Ball State 9 *
  • Saturday, Nov. 29: Toledo 21, Central Michigan 3 *
  • Tuesday, Dec. 23: vs. Louisville ** | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

* Denotes MAC game

** Denotes Boca Raton Bowl

Louisville football schedule 2025

Here’s a look at Louisville’s schedule in 2025:

  • Saturday, Aug. 30: Louisville 51, Eastern Kentucky 17
  • Friday, Sept. 5: Louisville 28, James Madison 14
  • Saturday, Sept. 13: BYE
  • Saturday, Sept. 20: Louisville 40, Bowling Green 17
  • Saturday, Sept. 27: Louisville 34, Pitt 27 *
  • Saturday, Oct. 4: No. 24 Virginia 30, Louisville 27 (OT)
  • Saturday, Oct. 11: BYE
  • Friday, Oct. 17: Louisville 24, No. 2 Miami 21 *
  • Saturday, Oct. 25: Louisville 38, Boston College 24 *
  • Saturday, Nov. 1: Louisville 28, Virginia Tech 16 *
  • Saturday, Nov. 8: Cal 29, Louisville 26 (OT)
  • Friday, Nov. 14: Clemson 20, Louisville 19 *
  • Saturday, Nov. 22: SMU 38, Louisville 6 *
  • Saturday, Nov. 29: Louisville 41, Kentucky 0 *
  • Tuesday, Dec. 23: vs. Toledo | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo) **

* Denotes ACC game

** Denotes Boca Raton Bowl

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Lindsey Vonn officially qualifies for Milano Cortina Olympics

Lindsey Vonn has achieved another milestone in her comeback. And it’s a big one.

Vonn has officially qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics, U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced Tuesday. Vonn met the results-based criteria after being on the podium in four of her first five races this season, including a win in the downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, that was her first World Cup victory since 2018.

It will be the fifth Olympics for the 41-year-old, who won gold in the downhill at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

‘I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!’ Vonn said in a post on Instagram.

‘When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me,’ Vonn wrote. ‘Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.’

Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist – she also has a bronze from the downhill at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018 and a bronze in super-G in Vancouver – and a four-time overall World Cup winner. But a series of injuries took their toll, and she was forced to retire in 2019.

After a partial knee replacement in the spring of 2024, however, Vonn felt so good she decided to try skiing again. When she felt good doing that, she decided to try ski racing again, wanting to end her career on her own terms.

The Olympics being in Cortina was also a draw. She made her first World Cup podium in Cortina. She’s gotten 12 of her 83 World Cup wins there, including a January 2015 victory in super-G that gave her what was then the women’s record.

‘Cortina has always been a place that’s been so special to me,’ Vonn said. ‘I just have a lot of amazing memories, so it wasn’t really a leap for me to say I want to come back and compete in these Olympics.’

And she will certainly be a medal contender, likely gold, in both downhill and super-G.

Vonn’s first season was one of mixed results, though it ended with her winning silver in the super-G at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. But with a full offseason to train and fine-tune her equipment, she’s been nothing short of spectacular this year.

She won the downhill in St. Moritz, the first speed race of the season, and followed it with a bronze in the downhill the following day. She won bronzes in the downhill and super-G this past weekend in Val d’Isere, France.

The only time Vonn hasn’t been on the podium was the super-G in St. Moritz, and she was fourth there, missing the podium by just 0.08 seconds.

She leads the season downhill standings, and is fifth in the overall.

‘In general, I’m really happy with my skiing. I have another podium and I still have the red (leader’s) bib, so there’s a lot to be happy about,’ Vonn said after the downhill in Val d’Isere. ‘I’m just looking to improve myself every day, every race. I know I can be better.’

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Alleged letter to Larry Nassar included in recent Epstein file release

  • A letter allegedly from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar was included in a recent Justice Department document release.
  • The letter’s authenticity is questionable as it was postmarked in Virginia three days after Epstein’s death in New York.
  • Both Epstein and Nassar were convicted of sex crimes involving young women and girls.

(This story has been updated to include new information.)

A letter alleged to be from Jeffrey Epstein to disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is among the more than 29,000 documents released by the Justice Department on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaulting the young athletes he treated while working for both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University.

The Department of Justice said it was investigating the authenticity of the handwritten letter, which appears to make reference to President Donald Trump. The DOJ said the authenticity is in question because it was postmarked three days after Epstein’s death in prison by reported suicide in August 2019. Additionally, the postmark on its envelope is Virginia, but Epstein was jailed in New York, and the return address on the envelope incorrectly identifies the jail where Epstein was being held. 

‘Dear L. N.,’ the letter began. ‘As you know by now, I have taken the ‘short route’ home. Good luck! We shared one thing … our love & caring for young ladies at the hope they’d reach their full potential. Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls.’

The note was signed, ‘Yours J. Epstein.’

The latest batch of material from the Justice Department’s Epstein investigation included dozens of video clips and other documents with many redactions. The Justice Department said on social media that documents include ‘untrue and sensationalist claims’ against Trump before the 2020 election.

‘To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already,’ the Department of Justice added in a statement about Tuesday’s document release. ‘Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims.’

Trump is one among many famous names that have appeared in the Epstein files. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, a wealthy and well-connected financier who was charged with sex trafficking.

More than 150 women shared their experiences of abuse as part of an award-winning Indy Star/USA TODAY Network investigation series related to how Nassar assaulted the athletes he treated for both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. Nassar was convicted of abusing gymnasts under the premise of giving them medical exams. Nassar’s accusers included Olympic gold medal winners such as Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman.

Epstein was charged by federal authorities with operating a sex-trafficking ring that preyed on young women and underage girls before he died in 2019.

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Fantasy football waiver wire: Some dart throws to help you win a title

Let’s face it: On fantasy football championship week, no player pickup off the waiver wire is going to lead you to a title.

If you haven’t constructed a strong roster, starting on draft day and continuing throughout the season, you have no business playing for a title in the first place.

There’s really no need to even read this column, because your starting lineup from last week’s win should certainly be strong enough to carry you over that final hurdle.

But. just in case some twist of fate has somehow kept your season from reaching its rightful end weeks ago and you find yourself with no idea who you’re starting … help is on the way.

Fantasy football players to add for Week 17

Due to the wide variance in types of leagues and individual team needs, the players listed here include their availability rates in Yahoo leagues, which may or may not match rates on other platforms.

QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (13% rostered)

So many quarterbacks have been injured over the past few weeks that it’s totally possible you could be scrambling for a starter this week, despite riding the coattails of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jordan Love, Daniel Jones or even Tua Tagovailoa for most of the season.

That’s where Shough comes in. He’s put up at least 20 fantasy points each of the past four weeks and is coming off a career-high 308 passing yards last week against the Jets. He has developed great chemistry with wideout Chris Olave and has another favorable matchup for championship week against the Tennessee Titans.

QB Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers (0% rostered)

If Love doesn’t clear concussion protocol and is unable to play, Willis could put up decent numbers in his place. The Packers face a Ravens defense that just gave up 380 passing yards to New England’s Drake Maye. While Willis is dealing with a bit of a shoulder injury himself, he still completed 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown after he replaced Love on Saturday. He’s also been effective throughout his career as a runner, which helps raise his fantasy floor.

RB Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (41% rostered)

We’re going to put Corum’s name out there one last time, even though he keeps producing week-in, week-out. Corum rushed for a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game (five total) last Thursday in Seattle and he remains a consistent fantasy scorer, despite being the backup to Kyren Williams.

RB Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers (38% rostered)

With starter Josh Jacobs playing through a knee injury, Wilson actually played more snaps (33-28) against the Bears. He only produced 48 total yards on 14 touches, but if Jacobs’ injury gets worse during practice this week, Wilson’s workload could increase dramatically. And he’s already shown what he can do as the lead back, totaling 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns just two weeks ago vs. Denver

Other possible running back additions: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Washington Commanders (29% rostered); Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals (42%); Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (11% rostered).

WR Adam Thielen, Pittsburgh Steelers (3% rostered)

With DK Metcalf sitting out this week due to a suspension, there’s an unexpected wealth of targets now up for grabs. After seeing only one pass his way in his first two games with the team, Thielen caught all four of his targets for 49 yards against the Lions this past week. The only problem: the Steelers travel to face the Browns, who just held Buffalo QB Josh Allen to a season-low 130 yards and no touchdowns last week.

WR Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers (15% rostered)

Coker saw his streak of back-to-back games with a touchdown catch end on Sunday against the Bucs. Yet he was on the field for 44 snaps, his second-highest total of the season. The Panthers have plenty to play for at home this week against Seattle.

Other possible wide receiver additions: Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (51%); Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders (41%); Mack Hollins, New England Patriots (3%).

TE Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (1% rostered)

It’s a Saints-fest on the waiver wire! With so many injuries to Saints running backs, Hill actually led the team in rushing on Sunday with 12 carries for 42 yards and caught four passes for another 36. Plus, in typical Taysom Hill fashion, he also took a few snaps at quarterback and threw a 38-yard touchdown pass.

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Warriors star leaves bench mid-game after argument with coach

Following a heated discussion with coach Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green left the bench and spent part of Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic alone in the locker room.

The exchange took place midway through the third quarter when Kerr called a timeout after Green had committed a turnover.

‘We had it out a little bit. He made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off,’ Kerr told ESPN afterward. ‘That’s all I’m going to say about it. Everything is private.’

Trailing by five points at the time, the Warriors went on to a 120-97 win over the Magic.

‘Tempers spilled over, and I thought it was best that I get out of there,’ Green said. ‘I don’t think it was a situation where it was going to get better. It was best to remove myself.’

Green returned to the Golden State bench before the start of the fourth quarter, but never took off his warmups.

Kerr said he never considered putting Green back in the game.

‘He wasn’t going back in. No. He left. He went back to the locker room. We moved forward, and the guys played great,’ Kerr said.

It marked the second consecutive game Green exited early. He was ejected from a home game against Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 20, after playing only eight minutes.

He tallied nine points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action against Orlando.

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Senate quietly works on bipartisan Obamacare fix as healthcare cliff nears

Obamacare subsidies that have dominated the conversation on Capitol Hill are set to expire after Congress failed to act, but a cohort of bipartisan senators are quietly working to find a solution for when lawmakers return next year.

It has engulfed Congress since September and played a starring role in the longest-ever government shutdown. And both Republicans and Democrats tried, and failed, to pass their partisan plans to either extend or replace the Biden-era enhanced tax credits.

They are guaranteed to expire, and millions of Americans who use the subsidies are set to experience hikes to their out-of-pocket costs for healthcare that can vary widely depending on the state.

Still, some in Congress haven’t given up on the issue.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, held bipartisan confabs last week as lawmakers readied to leave Washington, D.C., to hash out a framework for an Obamacare fix that could meet the desires of both sides of the aisle.

There are several political landmines that the group will have to overcome, like Democrats’ demands for a relatively clean, multiyear extension of the subsidies and Republicans’ desires to add income caps and anti-fraud measures.

‘We have some momentum to enact a bipartisan bill that includes reforms,’ Collins said. ‘As you know, Senator Moreno and I convened an ideologically diverse group of both Democratic and Republican senators who met for nearly two hours on Monday night, and we’re now working on drafting a specific bill to incorporate those conversations that will include reforms as well as the two-year extension.’

The plan has yet to see the light of day, but Collins and Moreno both already have a public proposal, as do several other lawmakers in the upper chamber.

Their original plan, released earlier this month, would extend the subsidies by two years, put an income cap onto the subsidies for households making up to $200,000 and eliminate zero-cost premiums as a fraud preventive measure by requiring a $25 minimum monthly payment.

That initial offering could give a glimpse into the final product, but there are still hurdles to getting a bill on the floor that could pass.

Namely, Senate Republicans are largely against any kind of extension to the subsidies without major reforms and a built-in off-ramp to wean off the credits, which they say are rife with fraud and funnel money directly to insurance companies rather than patients.

There’s also another wrinkle in the House, where Democrats and a handful of Republicans rebelled to force a vote on their own extension to the subsidies. That bill is expected to get a vote next month.

Lawmakers see it as changing the dynamic of negotiations in the Senate, but whether it ever makes it to a vote in the upper chamber is an open question.

‘Well, we’ll see,’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. ‘We’ll obviously cross that bridge when we come to it.’

Some Republicans in the upper chamber see the momentum building in the House as a pressure point on them that could further drive the conversation around the subsidies and, more broadly, healthcare.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said, ‘It will apply pressure on us, which isn’t a bad thing.’

‘I’m ready to start talking about healthcare at any time,’ Kennedy said. ‘I just don’t, I mean, I’m a pragmatist. I live in the real world, and I just don’t see a lot of appetite to make reforms. I just don’t — I see the vast majority of my Democratic colleagues just want an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies.’

And Senate Democrats welcome the development, given that the House’s plan mirrors their own, three-year extension of the subsidies, which already failed in the upper chamber earlier this month.

‘Well, it seems to me the basic proposition is, is it progress or not? And I think it is, because what we have felt all along is the only timely tool is the tax credits,’ Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.

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Trump promises cheaper drugs under TrumpRx, but economists say the long-term costs may be hidden

As President Donald Trump rolls out his TrumpRx proposal to cut prescription drug prices, economists are raising questions about what happens when prices are capped and whether short-term savings for consumers come at the expense of future medical breakthroughs.

On Friday, Trump announced deals with nine pharmaceutical companies to lower prices on certain medications for Americans, along with $150 billion in promised new investments in domestic manufacturing and pharmaceutical research.

The announcement builds on the administration’s Trump Rx initiative, a government-run portal designed to steer consumers toward lower-cost prescription drugs offered directly by manufacturers. The program is central to Trump’s effort to tie U.S. drug prices to those paid in other wealthy countries, a policy known as ‘most favored nation’ pricing.

But economists caution that price-lowering agreements don’t eliminate costs and often shift them elsewhere, particularly into reduced drug development, delayed innovation, or higher prices in other parts of the market.

Michael Baker, director of healthcare policy at the American Action Forum, said government price setting shifts costs rather than eliminating them.

‘At the most basic level, government price setting only limits what patients pay for a drug — usually reflected in an out-of-pocket or co-insurance payment,’ Baker said. ‘This does nothing to address the overall cost of the drug, which someone still has to pay, nor does it lower the cost associated with development.’

As a result, Baker said, patients ultimately bear those costs through tighter coverage rules, fewer treatment options or reduced future innovation.

‘Patients will experience far less of the crown jewel of the U.S. healthcare system that they are currently accustomed to receiving,’ he added.

Economists say the effects of permanent price caps would also be felt upstream, in research and development.

‘We know for sure that if drug prices are capped permanently below the levels the firm would have set, that will lead to lower incentives for R&D to discover new drugs and bring them to market,’ explained Mark V. Pauly, professor of healthcare management at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Pauly added that the impact is expected to be negative, but its scale — including how many drugs might never be developed and their potential value — remains highly uncertain.

‘I do not know the answer, but I know for sure no one else does either,’ he added.

Others argue the administration’s approach avoids the most damaging forms of price control.

Ed Haislmaier, an expert in healthcare policy and markets at The Heritage Foundation, said recent agreements appear to involve companies trading lower prices for benefits such as expanded market access or relief from other costs, including tariffs.

‘In such cases, companies are likely calculating that revenue losses from lower prices will be offset by revenue gains from more sales,’ Haislmaier told Fox News Digital.

‘The kind of government price controls that are most damaging to innovation are ones that limit the initial price a company can charge for a new product. That is the situation in some countries, but fortunately not yet the in the United States,’ he added.

Ryan Long, Paragon’s director of congressional relations and a senior research fellow, suggested that pricing pressure abroad could force foreign governments to shoulder a greater share of drug development costs.

Long said this strategy would lead ‘to lower prices for American consumers without sacrificing U.S. leadership in biopharmaceutical innovation that leads to new treatments and cures.’

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DAVID MARCUS: Why AmericaFest and Phoenix are perfect models for a midterm convention

Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest is very much like a circus, and I mean that in the best possible way. A circus can travel anywhere, put up its tents and put on a show.

The scale of last weekend’s event in Phoenix was nothing short of monumental, with 31,000 in attendance. That isn’t so far off of the estimated 50,000 souls who went to the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

To put it bluntly, TPUSA, along with other organizations, are capable of producing a much-needed midterm convention and a city like Phoenix, which hosted the conservative confab admirably, is exactly where it should be held.

As I’ve written in this column before, a midterm GOP conventionmidterm GOP convention, though a tad unconventional as a concept, is exactly what Republicans need to put Trump and his policy wins front and center before the electorate.

John and Lucy, a couple in their 40s who I met at the event, told me it was their first AmFest.

‘The energy is amazing,’ Lucy said. ‘I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect this.’

John concurred, saying, ‘This is like a rock concert, fireworks and loud music, I think it gets everyone pumped up.’

The atmosphere at AmFest was a whizzing and whirring technicolor explosion of light and sound, all resounding toward the goal of forwarding the conservative movement.

There is little doubt that 10 minutes at a pulsating and intense live event like Amfest – or a Trump rally – is worth 10 days of on-screen ads. It hits attendees in each of their five senses, and 50,000 may not sound like much, but that’s a veritable army to send back home in an off-year election.

One eager young conservative I met, Matt, who is studying finance in grad school and sports what might now be called the TPUSA mustache, told me, ‘I’d totally go to a midterm convention. Hell, I’d just go for the parties.’

That may sound a bit shallow to some, but it also sounds like exactly the kind of positive energy that a winning political movement needs.

When it comes to the question of where to hold a midterm convention, Phoenix can teach would-be convention planners a lot about the key question of location, location, location.

Vance closes out AmFest 2025 after record-breaking turnout

In places like New York City or Chicago, AmFest would have brought out hundreds of protesters, including many of the dangerous Antifa variety. Even vastly smaller events like a recent Mom’s For Liberty conference in Philadelphia attracted angry mobs.

In Phoenix, I never saw more than a dozen or so, and they were far more silly than menacing.

It’s worth noting that the local news channels did choose to focus almost as much attention on this bedraggled band of apparently unemployed naysayers as they did the tens of thousands inside the event.

Funny that.

But around the clean and very pretty downtown of soft light and perfect temperatures, one felt little to no resentment or pushback at the sudden flood of red MAGA hats and sparkly Trump outerwear. Everything was cool.

I asked one of my Uber drivers, a longtime Phoenix resident, why he thought the city was so welcoming in this way.

‘Nobody is uptight about politics. Everyone has weird ideas, we have weird politicians,’ he told me, laughing at his own joke for moment before adding, ‘It’s always been like this.’

Phoenix is not the only prime location for a midterm convention. Oklahoma City is another, as is Nashville. These are thriving places with better than average governance that truly do highlight the accomplishments of the Trump administration.

JD VanceJD Vance told the crowd at AmFest, ‘Why do we penalize corporations that ship American jobs overseas? Because we believe in the inherent dignity of human work and every person who works a good job in this country.’

The best place to sell that very popular message is in the smaller American cities where the jobs are being created, not one of the great metropolises still clinging to the dream that one day everyone can just work for the government.

As of now, the GOP has somewhere just north of seven months to put together a midterm convention, but the good news is that it is also flush with campaign cash. And the conservative movement has organizations like TPUSA that are capable of coming together to pull it off.

If Republicans want to hold onto Congress and give Trump a runway for his final two years, then their first priority for the coming fall should be to bring the circus back to town.

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